UK consumers are confused by the lack of guidance on healthy hydration and want government and retailers to do more to promote healthier drinks choices, according to new research by the Natural Source Waters Association (NSWA).
The Censuswide survey of 2,000 UK adults demonstrated “widespread uncertainty among UK consumers over what constitutes a healthy drink”, the NSWA said.
For example, more than one in six (17.5%) 25 to 34-year-olds surveyed believed energy drinks to be a “healthy” choice, despite the government seeking to ban the sale of these products to under-16s.
The survey also found over 40% of 18 to 34-year-olds believed that as long as they ate healthily, what they drank didn’t matter. Meanwhile, some 29% of people said they rarely or never checked the sugar or calorie content of what they drank, and 28% of 25 to 34-year-olds admitted consuming at least one energy drink a day.
Concerningly, over one in 10 18 to 24-year-olds (12%), and 14% of 25 to 44-year-olds, said they drank no plain water at all.
The figures demonstrated “poor public understanding” of how hydration contributed to overall wellbeing, the NSWA said.
“These findings should serve as a wake-up call,” said James Withers, NSWA chair. “When nearly one in five young adults consider an energy drink to be a healthy choice, it’s clear that simple health messages, like that water is the best way to hydrate healthily for most people simply aren’t getting through.
Nearly two-thirds (64%) of people surveyed said the government should be doing more to promote healthy hydration, and 63% said retailers should do more to promote healthier drink options.
“Public confusion on this scale doesn’t happen in a vacuum – it’s the result of a lack of clear, consistent guidance on healthy hydration at a national level,” said Withers. “It is something we believe the government has a responsibility to address if the nation’s poor health is going to improve.”
To tackle the issue, the NSWA has published a new health manifesto, calling for hydration to be given far greater recognition within public health policy.
The manifesto includes proposals to “strengthen public messaging on hydration, encourage healthier drink choices and support improved public awareness around healthy hydration”.
It also includes an ask for the upcoming National Food Strategy to be renamed the ‘National Food & Drink Strategy’, to recognise the role drinks play in the nation’s health system.
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